We recognise our legal, ethical and moral responsibilities to prevent work related injury and illness. The YMCA is committed to providing safe places of work that do not place the health and safety of any person at risk. Read our Occupational Health & Safety policy.

Our Privacy Policy (in a nutshell)

We only store the data we need to conduct business, in a secure location with limited access, and will only contact you when we have your permission. We are committed to complying with all privacy legislation, but if you would like to contact us about anything relating to the privacy of your data, please email vicoffice@ymca.org.au.

The YMCA reserves the right to make changes or amendments to the YMCA Privacy Policy as required by law.

1. Collection, use and disclosure of information

YMCA Victoria collects personal information directly from your use of the YMCA Victoria website and any membership, attendance or subscription you make to receive our services or information, including via email. The YMCA collects personal information directly from our clients, members, participants, volunteers and visitors through electronic, verbal, and written correspondence.

a. Collection of personal or sensitive health information

The YMCA collects personal information such as:

contact details

credit card details

attendance records

purchasing records

email addresses

the YMCA also collect sensitive health information such as:

blood pressure

body-mass index

personal medical plans

public incident injury and claim records

b. Use of personal or sensitive health information

The YMCA may use personal/health information for:

programs and service provision

verification of identity

research and development purposes

marketing and promotion of our services to you

fundraising

c. Disclosure of personal or health information

The YMCA may disclose personal & health information to organisations/individuals outside the YMCA in order to provide the range of services and programs offered. The consent of the individual will be sort prior to any disclosure of personal or health information.

Disclosure of personal and health information will be in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

We do not sell or share your information to other organisations and we comply with the requirements of the Privacy law in our marketing communications to you.

Philanthropic support and marketing activities are important to the future development and growth of the YMCA and our programs. You may be contacted from time to time to seek such philanthropic support for the YMCA, or receive copies of marketing by mail or email. The opportunity to opt out of receipt of such materials will be made available with each communication.

We may use video surveillance for security purposes and the footage will be used only by the YMCA and by the providers of our security services for security purposes. Surveillance videos are not used by the YMCA for other purposes and the footage is not publicly available. Surveillance cameras are not located in any bathrooms or change room facilities.

2. Data Quality

The YMCA takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is accurate, complete and up to date whenever it is collected, used or disclosed.

3. Data Security & Retention

The YMCA takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference and loss, and from unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Electronic personal and sensitive information is stored in a secure, Australian-based datacentre.

Health information will be retained for a minimum of 7 years following the last occasion on which service was provided. Where information was collected while the individual was a child it shall be retained until the individual is 25 years old, or for 7 years whichever is the greater. Your personal information that is no longer required will be de-identified or destroyed. In many circumstances, however it will be kept for marketing purposes as you will have consented to that in writing with us.

Where the YMCA receives unsolicited job applications these will usually be dealt with in accordance with the unsolicited personal information requirements of the Privacy Act.

4. Openness

The YMCA Privacy Policy is available to:

The community, members and clients through external promotional material brochures and websites.

5. Access and Correction

Access to personal information collected and stored by the YMCA will be administered according to the Australian Privacy Principles.

The YMCA, upon completion of a 'Personal Information Request Form' may provide the person requesting access to their individual’s personal information. All requests are processed within 30 days of receipt of application at no charge. Although no fee will be charged for accessing your personal information or making a correction, the YMCA may charge a fee to retrieve and copy any material. Access to personal information for the purposes of viewing or correction will only be available to people requesting changes to their specific information or authorised carers/guardians with the consent of the person requesting the information.

In accordance with the Health Records Act, all Health information collected by the YMCA will not be deleted. Amendments or alterations to the health information will be recorded on a separate form and attached to the original file.

We will be entitled in some circumstances to refuse access and if we do so, we will consider whether a mutually agreed intermediary will allow sufficient access to meet your needs and ours.

6. Unique Identifiers

The YMCA may be required to collect an individual’s identifier such as Tax File number, Medicare number or Social Security number for the provision of services. These identifiers will only be disclosed to agencies as required by law and in line with the Australian Privacy Principles

7. Anonymity

Wherever it is lawful and reasonable to do so, the YMCA provides an opportunity to remain anonymous.

You do have the right to seek to deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym, but in almost every circumstance it will not be practicable for us to deal with you or provide any services to you except for the most general responses to general enquiries, unless you identify yourself.

8. Transferred data flows

The YMCA does not transfer any personal information overseas without the consent of the individual. We do not use overseas hosted IT services including servers and cloud services.

The transfer of health information will be completed within 14 working days.

12. Consent

By acquiring or using the YMCA services, products or facilities, individuals consent to the reasonable collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

Consent may be directly implied in the completion of an application, membership or registration form or indirectly implied. Eg: YMCA requests personal details to forward program information and the customers supplies their name and address for this purpose.

13. Complaints Procedure

Formal complaints regarding the manner in which personal information is collected, used, or disclosed are to be handled in accordance to the "YMCA Complaints Handling Procedures".

If you have any concerns, complaints or you think there has been a breach of privacy please contact the YMCA Victoria Privacy Officer who will first deal with you usually over the phone. If we then have not dealt satisfactorily with your concerns we will meet with you to discuss further. If you are not satisfied with our response to your complaint within 30 days from this meeting then you can refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner via:

14. YMCA websites

The YMCA collects personal or sensitive information through websites, e-commerce systems, etc. The YMCA protects websites through the use of encryption technology.

When you use our website, having your cookies enabled will allow us to maintain the continuity of your browsing session and remember your details when you return. We may also use web beacons, Flash local stored objects and JavaScript. If you adjust your browser settings to block, reject or delete these functions, the webpage may not function in an optimal manner. We may also collect information about your IP address, although this may not identify you.